Circuit breaker



May 24, 1932; w. M. BOUDION CIRCUIT BREAKE Filed May 6, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 24, 1932. w. M. BOUDION CIRCUIT BREAKER FiledMay 6, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 24, 1932 wnmum M. BOUDION, NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIBCU 1'1 BREAKER Applicatibn med Kay 6,

I My invention relates to protective devices for use with vapor or gas electric devices, wherein a discharge takes place through a rarefied atmosphere of a suitable gaseous ma 5 terial, such as a neon lamp or the like.

Such devices which have come into general use'for advertising signs and the like are usually energized by a high tension alternating current iobtained from a specially constructed transformer. The characteristics of this transformer are such that if the circuit of the output side is interrupted for any reason an excessive potential is developed by the transformer, which may lead to destruction of the apparatus connected thereto',or

the transformer itself, if it be allowed to continue for any great length of time.

Protection against this danger can not be obtained by the expedient which is successful in other electrical contrivances, namely, the

- providing of a fuse or circuit breaker so arranged that upon passage of an excessive circuit, the fuse will be melted and the circuit thus interrupted, because this excessive p0- tential will be developed without necessarily produc'ng any great load in the primary circuit, in fact, the primary current will probably be decreased instead of increased, so that a fuse of the ordinary type would provide no rotection whatever.

uch high potentials are developed when, for instance, one" of the units of a neon sign is broken in any way, or if for any reason the discharge of electricity therethrough be interrupted and not immediately re-established.

a The principle upon which my invention is based is that a spark gap is connected to the terminals of the high tension winding of the transformer, the terminals of said gap being spaced so far apart that in the normal operation of the device a discharge will not take place between said terminals, however, upon 5 the occurrence of an abnormal high potential such discharge will result and actuate the protective means. This protective means comprises a fuse wire of the ordinary type or even a non-conducting element, which is arranged so that the primary circuit is interrupted when the said protective element is 1829. Serial 1V0. 860,962.

severed in any wa and this severing takes place due to the heat of the spark or are produced between said spark gap terminals, when the potential is abnormal.

The distinction between a device of this type and the ordinary fuse is that the severing of the fuse .or its equivalent is produced, not by the heat developed by the current passing through said element itself, but b the heat of a discharge produced indepen ently in the secondary circuit of the transformer. 1

For a description of my invention and a fuller understanding of the above and other objects thereof, attention is directed to the 66 accompanying drawings, wherein several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example.

- In said drawings:

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of the device with parts thereof in different positions.

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section of the device of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of the device.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the front, rear and side view respectively of a second embodiment of the invention.

Figures 7 and 8 aresimilar views third embodiment of the invention;

Referring now specifically to Figure 1, there is shown a base 16 madeof any desired suitable insulating material, preferably such as glass, porcelain, phenol-resin and the like, having a cover 17 of similar material fitted thereto, as shown.

Within the casing 16 is provided the primary circuit which is indicated diagrammatically, starting at the wire 18, coming from one of the lines feeding the primary circuit, passing to the terminal 2, thence through a resilient element 3 having a contact 4 at its end to a coo erating contact 5, held at the end of a, resi ient element 6, in turn connected to a. terminal 7.

A test lever -1 arranged pivotally at 19 may be actuated to bring the elements 4 an ofa 5 into contact with one another when in the position shown in Figure 1. From the bindto such spacing from one another that in the normal operation of the transformer the potential thereof is insuflicient to 'jump :the gap from one to the other, or from either to the interposed fuse wire 11. e

In ration, it is obvious that when the potential of the secondary increases sufiiciently, a spark or are Wlll form between the terminals 9 and 10, or between one of them andthe fuse wire 11, and the heat produced thereby will sufiice to melt the wire 11, and thus interrupt the primary circuit of the transformer.

In the form shown in Figure '2, the arrangement is substantially the same as that of Figure 1, and the apparatus is, in fact, identical with the exception that it is here arranged to use a non-conducting element 14 as the protective means, instead of the metallic wire 11 of Figure 1. This non-conductive element 14, which may be a combustible element, such as a twisted strip of paper, a thread, a piece of string or cord or the like, or merely a fusible element such as a thin rod of glass, is secured at one end to the screw 12, and at the other end to a book 15 on the resilientelement 3. This non-conductive element 14 passes freely over or around the binding post 8 and, of course, takes no part in the conduction of the current.

When the element 14 is inserted, it is arranged with suflicient tension to bring the contact members 4 and 5 into electrical contact with one another, as shown in Fig. 2, and when the device is used in this manner the lever 1 is turned about its pivot 19, so that it is out of contact with the resilient element 3, which is then held merely by the element 14. In this manner of using the device, the primary terminal of the transformer which was formerly connected to terminal 13 is now connected instead to binding post 7, as shown, and terminal 13 is not used electrically. Here the operation is the same as that of Figure 1, insofar as the occurrence of an are or spark between the terminals and 10 results in destroying the element 14, by melting it or b setting it on fire, or otherwise disrupting 1t, whereupon the resilient spring 3 is freed and withdraws'the contact 4 from the contact 5, thus again interrupting the pri- 2 mary circuit of the transformer.

A modified form'ofthe device, which 'is considered at present the referred form, is shown in .Fi ures4, 5 an 6, and comprises a casing 23 w ich is of a generally c lindrical shape, which may be of any suitab e insulatin material.

his casing is provided with a cover 24, which may be retained in place by means of a resilient metallic element 25 pivoted at 26 to the said casing 23. The said casing contains twostuds 27 and 28, having binding screws .29 and 30 thereon, between which a. piece of fuse wire 31 may be connected, as shown.

The spark terminals of'ithesecondary circuit are here indicated by 32 and 33, and are carried upon the bent ends of slidable elements 34 and 35 which are located'so that the spark gap-is arranged at approximatelyright an les to the fuse wire, as shown.- These sli able elements 34 and 35 may be secured in their adjusted position in any desired way, forming no part of the invention itself. The operation of this form is obvious from what has been stated regarding the dia rammatic Figures 1 and 2, and briefly consist'sin adjusting the spark ga between terminals 32 and 33 as before, so t at a discharge does not pass between them until the voltage of the secondary becomes excessive, whereupon such discharge will again serve to melt the fuse wire 31 and thus interrupt the primai'y circuit.

The form of the invention shown in Figures 7 and 8 com rises a base of insulating material 36 whic minals 37 and 38, between which the fuse wire 40 is connected, as in the other forms, additional lugs 41, 42 being provided to support said wire centrally in position, as shown.

ach of these 1 s 41 and 42 has a centrally placed notch 43 t erein for this pur ose. The terminal 38 is connected electrica ly to the terminal 39 and carries a contact element 45 in electrical connection therewith.

A cooperating resilient element 44 is controlled by the test lever 46 pivoted at 47 as shown. This test lever 46 is preferably made of insulating material. The resilient element 44 terminates at binding post 49, which serves for the connection of the device into the primary circuit, the other terminal bei the binding post 50. The spark terminals of the secondary circuit 51 and 52 are connected respectively to the binding as shown, which are intend to be connected to the terminals of the secondary windin of the transformer. In this form the sparE terminals 51 and 52 are carried upon screwthreaded shanks 55 and 56, respectively, and are secured in adjusted position by means of the nuts 57. A book 58 is provided upon resilient element 44 and to this alwcord or other protective element 59 may be attached, corresIponding to the cord or the like 14 of Pi 2.

t will be understood,of course, that sit or the fuse 40 or the cord or equivalent device carries thereon the ter-' 53 and 54,

59, may be employed, but that both would not ordinarily be used simultaneously, although it is possible that they could be simultaneously used if additional protection is sou ht, for example as shown in Fig. 3.

ither the cord 59 or the fuse wire 40 would be centered by the notches 43 of the lugs 41 and 42, so as to definitely position the protective element in proper position with respect to the spark gap,to be destroyed upon the occurrence of a discharge.

Of course, a suitable protective casing may be provided for this form of device, if desired, or it might be placed within the box containing the regular connections already provided in the circuit.

Having described my invention and several of the forms which it may take, I claim as my invention:

1. A protective device comprising a transformer feeding gas or vapor discharge devices, having a primary circuit and a secondary circuit, a destructible element maintaining the primary circuit of the transformer in energized condition, and a spark gap con- WILLIAM M. BOUDION.

nected in parallel to the secondary terminals of said transformer and open normally to such extent that sparks will not pass between the terminals, said destructible element located adjacent the terminals of the secondary circuit whereby upon occurrence of an abnormal secondary potential a discharge will take place and destroy said element thereby interrupting the primary circuit of the transformer.

2. A protective device comprisin a transformer feeding gas or vapor disc arge devices, having a primary circuit and a secondary circuit, a fusible element maintaining the primary circuit of the transformer in energized condition, and a spark gap connected in parallel to the secondary terminals of said transformer and open normally to such extent that sparks will not pass between the terminals, said fusible element interposed between the terminals of the secondary circuit whereby upon occurrence of an abnormal secondary potential a discharge will take place and destroy said element thereby interrupting the primary circuit of the trans-.

' former.

3. A protective device comprising a trans-- former feeding gas or vapor discharge devices having a primary circuit and a second ary circuit a fusible conductor traversed by the primary current which maintains the pri mary circuit of the transformer in energized condition, and a sparkgap connected-in parallel to the secondary terminals of said transformer and open normally to such extent that sparks will not ass between the terminals, said fusible con uctor interposed between the terminals of the secondary circuit whereby upon occurrence of an abnormal secondary potential a discharge will take 

